Moving to Texas .. Where ? (Houston, Dallas: low crime, job market, safe neighborhood)

[amit_shah25]

Moving from NY/NJ area. My wife and I are in mid 30's, no kids, very simple, down to earth people. Very athletic, outdoor oriented. Here are the critearias.

- Good job opportunities in white collar corporate (computer programming)
- Young, downtown-ish, easy going living. Wouldn't mind a suburb very near (bicycle commutable to downtown)
- Lot of places to eat, shop, hangout etc.
- Bicycle friendly neighborhood would be a HUGE benifit
- Low Crime-rate, safe neighborhood is very very important.

I just made a post in Austin section of this, because I knew austin has a bike friendly downtown, but looks like there is not that much job opportunities.

Houston, Dallas and Austin are my top choices right now .. Thoughts on these, or others that I should consider ?

[Listener2307]

I don't live in Texas any more. But I did. And I've seen almost every bit of it.

You sound like Dallas.

But I gotta warn you; you are not going to believe that heat. To you, it'll be downright unbelievable unless you have lived in other hot climates. And Dallas isn't even particularly hot for Texas.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by amit_shah25

Moving from NY/NJ area. My wife and I are in mid 30's, no kids, very simple, down to earth people. Very athletic, outdoor oriented. Here are the critearias.

- Good job opportunities in white collar corporate (computer programming)
- Young, downtown-ish, easy going living. Wouldn't mind a suburb very near (bicycle commutable to downtown)
- Lot of places to eat, shop, hangout etc.
- Bicycle friendly neighborhood would be a HUGE benifit
- Low Crime-rate, safe neighborhood is very very important.

I just made a post in Austin section of this, because I knew austin has a bike friendly downtown, but looks like there is not that much job opportunities.

Houston, Dallas and Austin are my top choices right now .. Thoughts on these, or others that I should consider ?

The job market is okay, but not great in Texas. It is better than other areas of the country, but it is not the land of milk and honey. I think you are going about your move the wrong way if you want to first find a place to live, and THEN find a job.

Find a job first, a place to live second. Computer Programmers are a dime a dozen unfortunately, and job security in that industry is pretty spotty. You will definately need to live in one of the more urban areas, and the job markets in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio etc are tight.

Find a job first dude. I mean really.

[Willsson]

Houston and Dallas are not noted for being downtown mecca's during the weekend. While both would work for bicycling and have great places to ride, neither is well developed as cycling cities. While a place like Seattle is geared for a cycling commute to work downtown, you wouldn't find it very workable in Houston or Dallas. One, the heat gets extreme and in Houston you can add high humidity and frequent thunder storms. Any time of day, night, or season.

You would probably do well to focus on Austin which is both younger and more downtown-ish than either Houston or Dallas.

I cannot speak to the above qualities for San Antonio other than heat and humidity.

Regardless, unless you're prepared, you're not gonna believe the heat. And while kids and many adults love it and do well playing in the heat it does require personal adjustments to lifestyle. That's from a personal perspective, born and raised in various parts of Texas. I rather appreciate the heat and sweat. However, that does change with age and now regulate my exposure.

[RooCeleste]

I concur with JayBrown. Find a job first, then look for a place to live. Texas isn't a utopia, with jobs floating around everywhere.

[flpyrner]

I think Austin would suite you best. I currently live in Dallas, and it is NOT cyclist friendly at all and I wouldn't exactly call the people of Dallas down to earth either. Commuting to work by bike is doable, I have friends that do it, but it is not easy with the anti-cyclists on the roads. I ride as safely as I can but I've had more than enough crap thrown at me, obcentities yelled and have been run off the road a couple of times and no, I was not on a busy road. I know there are jerks everywhere, but one day I fear I'm going to be a hood ornament. There are some nice places to get out and ride, there are trail systems but they don't go everywhere, to find roads with less traffic and wide shoulders you have go out into the country and there is White Rock Lake but can be very crowded during the weekends. Not to paint a terrible picture of Dallas, there are alot of pockets of active people here but I wouldn't consider most very active or outdoorsy. The choices of restaurants and shopping here is great and if you are into the bar/club/lounge scene, there is a decent night life here too. Houston is a lot more laid back, has lots to choose from for shopping and eating as well but is even more sprawled out so bike commuting is even harder. Based on what you have posted I think Austin would be your best bet. Visit all 3 cities, they are all very different and good luck.

[JayBrown80]

Please everybody, stop telling him to move to Austin. I live in Austin, it is not a bicycle friendly town. You cannot commute to work by bicycle unless you live within a few miles of where you work, and that is probably not going to happen unless you are independently wealthy.

We have bike paths downtown, yes, but you are not going to live and work in that area unless you are a trust fund baby and don't have to work.

[Canine*Castle]

The heat and humidity are the pits and lasts about six months, but from November to April, it's really quite nice.

[Newk]

Second and third securing a JOB first! Try and get relocation.

[amit_shah25]

Sorry, forgot to mention this first. I am definitely going to find a job first before I move. The question was where would I find one ..

I guess my question about bicycle friendly is .. relative ... I mean I ride around 15 miles for commute in NJ .. And New Jersey is NOT bicycle friendly !!! For me the key is not having roads that have more than 45-50 mph speed limits cause it gets a big dangerous after that ... So, in Dallas, Austin regions, do they have lot of roads with higher speed limits, or there are local roads available ? ..

Heat is not an issue. I was born and brought up in India 25 years. No offense, but Texas heat is really nothing compared to heat, humidity, dirt, pollution etc. compared to India